A puddle lay dormant in a sea of whispering grasses, it's glassy surface reflecting the angelic, milky white reflection of the moon hung overhead, unmasked by ashen clouds on the clear autumn night. The stars sat beside it, sprinkling the sky with sugar-white crystals that winked mirthfully down upon the sleeping world. The quiet humming of grasshoppers filled the air with a symphony of peaceful buzzing, mingling with the gentle sighs of a cool zephyr through the trees that bordered the vast plains. The air was cool and thick; the kind that burns your lungs and throat when you inhale too fast. All was peaceful on the soon-to-be winter night in the lonely fields.

A single paw touched into the puddle and quickly out, disturbing the water and causing ripples to radiate forth. The image of the moon distorted, and seemed to wave at the passing feline as it slipped through the shadows.

A sable, lithe frame slunk through the shadowy remains of the dying sun, freezing at moments to taste the air, head high and alert over a pair of strong shoulders. Tawny eyes, lit like the flames in which consumed his past, glinted evily in the phosphurescence of the moon as the tom watched every miniscule movement that stirred in the bushes. Ironically, night was when Rave was most awake, and this moment was not an exeption. His veins felt as if they were lit aflame, and his blood boiled and pounded in his body from the sheer excitement of being alive. His toes tingled, and he sheathed and unsheathed his claws in response, goring the soft, cool soil with sharp talons. A shiver ran like a cold finger down his spine, and his melanoid fur stood on end, as if he had been electrically shocked.

He loved being free. Nothing could change that.

Ravenfire continued his stroll, shouldering his way through the tall grasses that almost dwarfed his lean frame. To someone passing by, he would seem like a walking shadow as he slunk through the golden plains. His fur was tinged with an ever-so-slight hint of lusterous silver, given to him from the pearled light of the moon as it smiled down upon him.

He walked until he came across what he was searching for; the tall, broken down building in which loomed above him, ominisce and threatening in it's size, yet familiar and welcoming to the young feline. Smoothly and quietly, he made his way to the north side, where his eyes met a familiar site; barrels were stacked atop each other, which, to any clan-member's eye, would be just a pile of junk. To Rae, however, it was a stairway to heaven. Without pause, he leaped to the first barrel, slim muscles stretching forth and constricting as he gracefully landed. The wood was worn smooth from where he had constantly done this, and the raw feel of it was homely and welcoming to the cat as he continued upward.

Hop, hop, hop.

He finally dragged himself up onto the slanted rooftop, nimbly making his way up to the very peak of the building. There, he sat skillfully, balancing his weight before settiling down to enjoy the view. With adoring eyes, he gazed at his front yard; the scenery of this place was exuisite, from the open fields splashed with cool blues and whites, dotted with rolling hills, to the limitless indigo sky above his head. A breeze caressed his face and sighed into his solid body, and gently he shivered. At that moment, he took a silent vow never to leave this place. It was home.